The present invention relates to the exclusive domain of mail processing and concerns a label tape dispenser intended to equip a franking machine and provided with a device indicating consumption thereof.
Most of the franking machines used for franking mailpieces comprise a label tape dispenser allowing a label to be printed instead of direct printing on the mailpiece. Such printing on labels thus makes it possible to frank parcels or large envelopes which, due to their dimensions, cannot pass through the franking machine.
Such a refillable dispenser (the tape bearing the labels is a consumable) conventionally comprises, enclosed in a cartridge, a delivery roller and at least two pairs of drive rollers disposed on either side of a cutting module intended to define a given length for the label. The drive rollers which ensure unwinding of the label tape are actuated by a control motor through kinematics incorporating gears, pulleys and belts for example, and speed and position sensors are provided to allow precise cut-out of the tape.
At the present time, there is no control of the unwinding of the tape, and existing dispensers deliver labels until they are empty.
Now, the quantity of remaining tape is of non-negligible importance to warn that the dispenser is soon to be changed or refilled by introduction of a fresh tape. This importance is particularly real in high-output franking machines which can print a very large number of labels at high speeds.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a label dispenser for franking machine which can indicate the consumption of the label tape and in particular indicate, at least approximately, the quantity of tape remaining. Another object of the invention is to provide this indication at low cost.
To that end, the present invention relates to a label tape dispenser for a franking machine, comprising a delivery roller on which is wound a continuous tape of labels, a drive means for conveying this tape along a dispenser conveying path from said delivery roller towards a label inlet of the franking machine, characterized in that it further comprises, on the one hand, mounted on said drive means, a first coding means for measuring an angular displacement of said drive means and, on the other hand, mounted on said delivery roller, a second coding means for measuring an angular displacement of said delivery roller, and in that processing means are provided for calculating, from said measurements of angular displacement, a remaining length of said continuous tape of labels.
By this simple measurement of two particular displacements, it is thus possible to know the length of tape remaining in the dispenser with sufficient accuracy and to warn the user of the franking machine that a change or refill will soon be necessary.
The processing means comprise means for calculating and controlling the display of different thresholds corresponding respectively to 100%, 75%, 50%, 25% and 0% of said remaining length of tape.
Depending on the embodiment envisaged, the display is effected either directly at the level of the label dispenser on a display means assigned thereto, or on a user interface of the franking machine.
According to a preferred embodiment, the first and second coding means are each constituted by an optical coder comprising an optical emitter/receiver cooperating with a coder disc on which slots which define a step of unitary displacement of the coding means, are made at regular intervals. The optical coders preferably have equal unitary displacement steps.